Paradox
by Amber Icefire
Summary: White, a shy girl with a fear for Pokemon, must go on a journey with her friends and brother. She soon meets N, a Trainer that can understand Pokemon just like her, and Grey, a white-haired teen that appears at all the right moments... She learn things that she never saw in herself and face Truths and Ideals.
1. Black N White With a Hint of Grey

**A/N Hey everyone! Yep, I'm finally doing it. XD This is my first ever Pokémon Fanfic, so go easy on me please! Without further ado, here is Paradox!**

**Disclaimer: Amber does not own Pokémon. It's been on my wish list for a few years, but no luck…**

**Chapter One: Black N White With a Hint of Grey**

I brushed through my hair again and threaded my ponytail back under my hat again. I slipped the notebook my dad and I had made into a pouch at my belt and sighed. Today was the day, I guess. I would have to get over my fear eventually…

I went to my door and put my hand on the knob, preparing to open the door, but it burst open before I could twist the handle.

"WHIIIITE!"

My hands flew to my ears as my friend Bianca burst in. I gave her a pointed look and she covered her hands over her mouth.

"Oh, I'm sorry! You were standing right there weren't you? Are you okay?"

I nodded warily and sat on my bed.

She giggled and sat next to me. "I finally got here before Cheren! Yay me!"

I heard footsteps as Cheren himself came down the hallway to my room. Unlike Bianca, he had the courtesy to actually knock.

"Come in!" Bianca said and Cheren obliged. He readjusted his glasses and he held up a box.

"Your mom told me to bring it up. Quick, before your brother gets-"

"I'M HERE! ARE THOSE THE POKEMON? AWESOME!"

Black pushed past Cheren and took the box from his hands. I rolled my eyes and watched the three of them huddle around the package, carefully opening it.

"There are only three pokeballs…" Bianca trailed off sadly.

"T-that's okay. You guys can take them." I said.

"Are you sure? Let's at least see what they are, and if you like one you can take it. After all, it _was _delivered to your house." Cheren told me, straightening his tie.

"No, no, it's really fine-"I started to answer, but not before Bianca released the Pokémon from their balls.

I recognized the little creatures instantly from my times reading books with my dad, but I still put space between myself and them.

_What's with you? We don't bite. Well, not unless we learn the move, but we won't bite you!_

The Oshawott was blinking up at me from the floor and the Snivy pulled one of its ears.

_You know humans can't understand us!_

The Tepig shook his snout at the two. _"It was worth a try, Elm."_

"OH MY ARCUES! THEY ARE SO CUUUTE!"

This time, even the Snivy, who I'm guessing was Elm, twitched his tail in response to Bianca's yell.

"I'll pick first!" Black cried out. "Since it is my house."

I rolled my eyes at this comment. Brothers can be so annoying…

The Tepig walked up to Black, clearly begging with its eyes.

He looked down at the Pokémon and crouched to Tepig's level.

"Do you want to come with me little guy?" he asked it.

_Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?_

Of course, all Black heard were snorts of enthusiasm.

"I'll take that as a yes!" he said, picking the little Tepig up. "What should I call you?"

"_My name's Torch." _It said, snorting fire helpfully.

"Hmm… How about Barbecue?" he asked it. That's my brother, always thinking about food. Which in this case was not a good thing, as pigs are used in barbecue!

I gave in and decided to help the little Tepig out. "He says his name's Torch."

He nodded. They already knew about my being able to understand Pokémon, so my answer didn't come as a surprise. "Torch it is!"

Torch gave me a pondering look. "Can you understand me?"

I gave him a slight nod and he snorted in delight. Elm looked incredulously at me and crawled up my bedpost to get a better look at me. I yelped and clutched a pillow, backing to the far side of the bed, against the wall. Thank goodness he wasn't intimidating, or I probably would have fainted.

_What's wrong? Are you scared of Pokémon?_

I nodded feebly, and he didn't pry. The Snivy slithered back down my bedpost and over to Cheren, who delightedly picked him up, much to the Snivy's discomfort.

I soon learned that the Oshawott's name was Conch, and I helped Cheren and Bianca with their names, much to Conch and Elm's relief.

"Let's have a Pokémon battle!" Bianca shouted.

In my _room_?

Thankfully, Black stepped in. "They've barely gotten to know us! Let's wait until after we train them a bit."

I let out a sigh of relief. Great! Now not only would I not have to go with them, I didn't have to clean up the mess they would leave behind!

Sadly, only one of these would remain true.

After returning their Pokémon into their balls, they started to head down the hallway.

"Come on White! We're losing daylight!" Black cried, grabbing my arm and pulling me down the stairs.

The losing daylight part was true as it was already 7:00 at night. But there was _no way_ I was going! I struggled in my brother's grip, but to no avail.

"Oh come on White! This will be a perfect way to get you to talk more often _and _help you get over your fear of Pokémon! It's a win win!"

That's easy for _you _to say…

Nonetheless, Black managed to drag me to Professor Juniper's lab. I gave my brother a questioning look.

"The Professor wants to see us before we start." He explained.

We entered the lab and Juniper herself greeted us.

"Cheren, Bianca, Black-and White! I didn't expect you to be here!" she said.

I glared pointedly at Black.

Juniper pulled out three red devices. "These are for your journey. They're known as Pokedexes. They calculate Pokémon you meet-White, do you want one? I think there's an extra one lying around here-"

"No, no it's fine." I interrupted her. " I pulled out my dad's notebook and showed it to her. "It has drawings and information of every Pokémon said to have existed. We finished it right before he…"

_Died._

Juniper smiled at it and nodded, explaining the basics to the other three as I placed the notebook back in its pouch. She finished and ushered us out.

"Now go on while there's still some daylight left!"

Black gave me an 'I told you so' look and we exited the lab.

At the start of Route One, I nearly chickened out. All of the Pokémon that could be lurking in the shadows at any turn…

A rough push from behind sent me moving forward. It was Bianca, Conch at her side.

_It's alright. We'll protect you!_

The little otter thumped his chest, striking a noble position.

We went on a little more, until my companions caught sight of wild Pokémon.

"I see a Pidove! That could definitely help me on my journey!"

"A Purrloin. It seems interesting."

"Look at that Lillipup! It's SOOO cute!"

The three Trainers bolted off in different directions, leaving me alone. _So much for protecting me…_

It was eerily quiet. I couldn't even hear the voices of wild Pokémon. Rubbing my arms, I started forward along the path; careful to avoid the patches of tall grass for fear that a Pokémon would pop out.

Footsteps resounded behind me and I whipped around, expecting Black, Bianca, or Cheren. Instead, I saw a white-haired teen standing at the edge of the path, looking at me questioningly. I raised an eyebrow and he came forward.

"I apologize." He said. "You just reminded me of someone."

I nodded and smiled. "Can't say I get that a lot."

He smirked and stuck out his hand. "My name is Grey."

"White." I replied, cautiously shaking his hand.

"Strange. Seems our parents were keen on naming us after colors." he chuckled, and let go of my hand.

"I guess I should go, I'm trying to find my friends. Nice meeting you Grey." I turned and began walking again, listening for my friends and brother.

I felt a hand on my should and turned around again to see Grey.

"I heard a small group of Trainers walking towards the town." He said, pointing ahead. "I could escort you."

"Oh, um, alright." I agreed reluctantly.

After about ten minutes of walking, I saw sunlight up ahead.

"Thank you Grey-" I started, turning to face him.

But he was gone.

I continued and brushed off the gnawing suspicion that had closed over my mind.

"Sis! There you are, we thought we'd lost you!" Black's voice came from the end of the path.

I gave him a steely glare.

Bianca squealed happily and ran towards me, waving around a pokeball.

"I found a Lillipup!" I'm gonna call him George!" she cried, releasing the said Pokémon.

I gave a yelp and backed away from the furry dog that had begun bounding in circles around Bianca.

_Let's play Master! Let's play!_

Bianca laughed and scratched the Lillipup's ear, and it instantly curled up and started snoring.

"Alrighty, return George!" she called out, and the dog went back into its ball.

Cheren pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Accumula Town. There's no Gym here where I can prove Elm's strength, but it's getting too dark. We should find somewhere to head for the night."

I looked to the town square and my eyes widened. I tugged on Black's sleeve, and he looked as well. At the northern part of the square, a platform had been laid out and a bunch of people dressed as knights, some of them holding flags, were gathered around a man wearing a…bathrobe? Cape? Snuggie? I couldn't tell from where we were standing.

"What's going on over there? Are they doing some kind of medieval reenactment or something?" Black asked, pulling on the rim of his cap.

"Let's go see!" Bianca cried, running over to where a crowd was gathering.

We followed Bianca and joined the outer edge of the crowd just as the man in the bathrope-cape-snuggie-thingie cleared his throat.

I noticed the man had a glowing red device where his right eye should have been and I felt a shiver run down my spine. Up this close, I could also see that the flags some of the others were carrying had a P insignia with a lowercase Z behind it.

"Good evening ladies and gentleman. My name is Ghetsis. I hail as a humble Sage in the name of Team Plasma. I have come to deliver a message given to us by our King."

The crowd murmured curiously, and I myself couldn't help but take interest.

"Team Plasma is supported by the beliefs of Pokémon happiness. Now I ask of you, are your Pokémon happy? Happy, as you force them to battle for sport? Happy, as you lock them in computers and contraptions rather than let them roam free? Happy, as we push them beyond their natural limits in power-hungry quests for strength?"

I blinked in astonishment and the crowd buzzed, pondering what he had just said. Was this man right? Thank Arcues I wasn't a Trainer having to face the emotional conflict that was obvious on so many faces…

Ghetsis raised a hand and the audience stilled. He cleared his throat and continued.

"In order to obtain this goal, this noble quest of Pokémon happiness, we must do one thing."

"Liberation!" I turned and found the person who had spoken up. It was a green-haired teen, who looked like he completely believed Ghetsis and even honored in what he was saying.

"That's right. Liberation. In order to let Pokémon live in a perfectly happy, peaceful environment, we must first release our Pokémon. Then and only then can we achieve this goal, this dream of a perfect world. Thank you for your time, and have a wonderful night."

With that, Ghetsis bowed and left the platform, the rest of Team Plasma filing out behind him.

As soon as they left the crowd burst into uproar. I heard sounds of pokeballs being opened and I yelped, backtracking to avoid the sudden increase of Pokémon in the square.

I turned to my friends and saw that they all had looks of contemplation on their faces, their starter Pokémon by their sides. Cheren was even fingering the button on Elm's ball. Only Black looked completely unconvinced by the speech.

"Should I let Conch go?" Bianca actually stared at me when she asked this, as if I would have an answer! She stared at Conch undecidedly. "White, I know you're scared of Pokémon…but could you tell me if Conch is happ-"

"You're afraid of Pokémon?"

We all turned to see who had spoken, and it was none other than the boy who had spoken up during the speech. His gray gaze was focused disbelievingly on me.

I couldn't answer. If I said yes, he'd probably be offended. If I said no, he would see I was lying…

"Yes, and for good reason! So don't bug her about it!" Black had stepped in front of me and was glaring at the boy.

"Relax. I didn't mean to offend you. It was just an honest question, nothing personally."

I put a hand on Black's shoulder and stepped around him to face the teen.

"My dad and his Pokémon were killed protecting me from Kyurem."

He cocked his head and his eyes showed sympathy.

"I have to say, it's a shame that you have this fear. As I would assume that you are not a Trainer, I hope that being around your friends will lessen this fear."

I nodded stiffly and Conch glared at him.

_Who are you to ask questions like that anyway?_

_Conch, he can't understand you, remember? But I do hope that Cheren doesn't take what that sinister man said to heart. He's a wonderful person, and I've never been happier around him._

"Your Pokémon!" the teen exclaimed, looking at Elm. "Just now it said-"

"What are you talking about? Pokémon can't talk." Cheren interrupted disbelievingly.

"You can't hear them either? How sad." The boy turned to walk away, but of course, Bianca _had_ to say something.

"Actually, she can understand Poke-" I clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. The green-haired teen turned back around and stared at me incredulously.

I stepped back and pulled the rim of my hat down.

"Is this true? You can hear their voices as well?"

_Of course she can you idiot!_

Oh Conch.

"You're very rude." The boy said to the otter-like Pokémon.

"_You're vey green." _Conch retorted, sticking his tongue out at the teen.

"_Hey!" _Elm cried, glaring at Conch. _"Green is a very fashionable color!"_

"_Sorry Elm."_

I smirked at the two and looked back up.

"Amazing. I haven't met another person who could her them… My name is N."

"Nice name." Black chuckled, making N give him an amused look.

"Oh really? And what might your name be?"

"Black."

"Then you don't quite seem in the position for judging how strange a name is." N's gaze flickered back to me expectantly.

"White." I said simply.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss White. I have a feeling our paths will cross again." N then looked at my brother and the silent Tepig by his side.

"I have yet to hear your friend's voice. Would you do the honor of battling me?" N asked, taking out a pokeball of his own.

Black nodded, accepting the challenge, and told us to reserve a room in the Pokémon Center for us while he battled. We agreed, and before we left, N nodded to me, his gray gaze locked with my blue. The last I saw of N, he was sending out a Purrloin.

Somehow, I failed to notice the white-haired teen standing nearby…

**A/N Whoo! That took over five hours to type! Oh Arcues. Alright. First off, at the beginning I mentioned White having a blue and white hat. This was on purpose, as I loathe the color pink. :D**

**Anywho, guess Grey's role! If you get it right, I'll dedicate the next chappie to you! ;D**

**I haven't decided the pairing yet, so vote your favorite in your review! Any will be accepted, be it ferriswheel, atyourservice, whatever it is! I'll even let you vote if you want Grey to be a shipping option. I have no final plans (except Dualrivalshipping) so just tell me!**

**And remember, reviews are appreciated! **

**Live, laugh, be awesome!**

**-Amber Icefire **


	2. Frozen Dreams

Chapter Two: Frozen Dreams

**A/N. I'm back guys! The new release of Black and White 2 has brought me out of my Writer's block! :D**

**This chapter is dedicated to Mythos Fan, LittleKrus, MewBladeXxX, RageTV100, Cha0s C0ntr0l, RonnyBravo, and The Storm-Mist Account. Thank you so much for guessing and reviewing. :3**

**This is also dedicated to my dear friend Starrynight878. Thanks so much for the inspiration and review! owo**

* * *

I stood by the window of my room at the Center, looking out at the stars. Thankfully, we were all able to get our own rooms, and I didn't have to be around my compainions' Pokemon.

Even through the closed window, I could feel the strong chill to the night air, and all I could think about was that awful night at the Giant Chasm.

Turning away from the window, I climbed into bed and closed my eyes, willing such thoughts away from my mind, but they still lingered when sleep finally caught me.

* * *

_ Twelve-year old White clutched her father's arm with one hand and a small notebook in the other as he led her into Crater Forest._

_ "Don't worry White, it's perfectly safe!"_

_ The small girl released her death grip on her father and opened the notebook to the section they were currently working on, The Inhabitants of Crater Forest. She pointed to the page at the very front of the chapter, between a picture of an overhead view of Lacunosa Town and a picture and description of Delibird._

_ "I'm nervous Dad. Those people in Lacunosa Town...didn't they say something about a monster in the Crater? I don't think we should be here if we're on its territory. The Delibird back in the cave told me to watch our backs. Why would we need to do that?"_

_ The father laughed and ruffled her hair._

_ "Those people in Lacunosa are just superstitious. Kyurem hasn't been here for hundreds of years! That Delibird must have heard those silly rumors, there's nothing to be worried about, I promise."_

_ He slid a pencil out of his pocket and shaded in the left eye of the Delibird as he said this and smiled at his daughter._

_ She grinned back and they went forward past a row of trees into a small clearing with a lake in the center of it._

_ A frantic chirping sound drew White's attention away from the lake and to the trees behind her. Turning her head, she caught sight of Sneasel. She walked over to it and crouched to its level._

_ The Dark Pokemon tugged at her sleeve with a claw and its feather twitched, it's eyes wide._

_ "You need to get out of here now, child. You and your foolish father are in terrible danger. Lord Kyurem has awoken and seen you both please, go before it's too lat-"_

_ The Sneasel was cut off by the sound of a roar and it ran off into the shadows as the temperature dropped dramatically. White hurried to her father and grabbed his sleeve._

_ "Dad, we need to get out of here, please!" _

_ He looked down at her, an equal amount of fear evident in his eyes. He fumbled with his bag and grabbed his six Pokeballs, sending the creatures inside them out with a burst of light._

_ A Haxorous, an Excadrill, a Galvantula, a Crustle, a Scolipede, and a Stoutland burst from their containers and tensed, all of them expecting a fight. Another roar sounded and the father cursed himself for not catching a flying Pokemon._

_ Snow began to fall rapidly, covering everything in a white blanket. _

_ White froze, heart beating fast when she heard the roar again, only it sounded as if it were coming from right in front of her..._

_ "__Humans! How dare you enter this place! You will suffer my wrath!" _

_ The snow cleared slightly to reveal a giant gray and white dragon with piercing yellow eyes._

_ White stepped forward tentatively, and cleared her throat, but couldn't stop her voice from squeaking slightly._

_ "We apologize sir, we weren't aware that you actually-"_

_ "Existed?" _

_ The Pokemon regarded her with eyes colder than the air around them and White's father stepped in front of his daughter protectively._

_ "I'm going to suspect you are the famed Kyurem. As my daughter said, we meant no harm. If you'd let us go-"_

_ Kyurem's gaze focused from White to the man protecting her and then looked around at his Pokemon, who had gone to their Trainer. He reared his head and looked down on them, and then spoke in a way so that even the father would understand his words, as was the power he held._

_ "Let you go? Foolish human, you've strayed into my home, and you and your Pokemon will never leave. I will however spare your daughter. It's not her time yet."_

_ Before White could even open her mouth to protest, the Kyurem lashed out and the world turned black._

* * *

I sat up in bed in a cold sweat, tears pricking my eyes. Reliving those last moments of my father's life...

My knees tucked to my chest, I allowed a few tears to fall from before wiping them away angrily.

A sudden knock on my door jolted me from my thoughts and I rushed to the door and swung it open.

Bianca stood there with a smile on her face, but that changed to a frown when she saw my tear-streaked face.

"Your dad?"

I nodded and she cocked her head to the side.

" I really am sorry White."

" It's okay. I just need to stop thinking about it..."

Bianca smiled lightly. "Well Cheren said to tell you to get ready, we'll be heading for Striaton City in thirty minutes."

"Okay." I closed the door and got ready, banishing all thoughts of my dad and Kyurem to the far corners of my mind.

* * *

**A/N. And now you all know what happened. o3o **

**Tell me what you guys think so far, tell me what you want to happen/think will happen next, just something! XD**

**Ill try and update as soon as I can, thank you all so much for believing in me!**

** -Amber Icefire-**


	3. The Path to Striaton City

**A/N Hey guys! I have a lot of free time on my hands since I have no social life ( XD ) so I decided to update this thing. :3**

**First things first, I'd like to thank my new reviewers!**

**LynneDysis and Victinis Victory, thank you so much for reviewing, welcome to my story! I hope you enjoy it! :D**

**To my other wonderful regs, you guys are awesome and all deserve virtual ducks! You guys are my inspiration, and this story would be NOTHING without you! That's why I'm going to try to update more often, screw excuses and Writer's Block. Don't stop checking in on the story and don't hesitate to pester me if I'm not updating as often as you guys want me to! **

**And to clear the air, I most certainly AM still working 24/7 on this story! I won't be giving up on you all! :3**

**Enjoy!~**

Chapter Three: The Path to Striaton City

Soon enough, I found myself walking along Route 2 with Black, Bianca, and Cheren. The sun was barely reaching its climax, and yet I was hiding from wild Pokemon behind Black already.

"White, come on, you're embarrassing me." my brother complained as I held his arm in a death-grip due to a Pidove.

"Sorry." I released his arm and stepped away.

"Look White, we all need to train, but we can't have you freaking out every time you see a Pokemon. How about I give you this, and you go ahead to the city?"

Black handed me a cylinder and Bianca gave me a thumbs-up.

"See ya White!" she said, and with that, they were gone, leaving me alone.

I looked at the label of the cylinder and frowned. Of course Black would give me a Max Repel.

I looked around for a trash bin and as soon as my eyes caught sight of one, disposed of the cylinder and made my way back down the path.

Once I arrived at the city, I looked around for my friends, but was disappointed upon not seeing them. I didn't even have an Xtranciever to call them with! I sighed to myself, remembering that it had broken a week ago when a Ducklett had startled me into dropping it into a pond...

I let out another frustrated sigh and walked over to a bench, deciding that I would rather wait for my friends sitting than standing. I occupied myself by flipping through my dad and I's journal, and after a while I found myself reading it without actually comprehending the words I was seeing.

But then I got to Kyurem's page.

I froze, not registering that I had actually dared to flip to this of all of the pages in the journal, the one page I hadn't looked at for two years.

It had the initial picture of the ice-dragon, drawn in my hand, though I don't remember ever doing it. Under it, in tiny print, I had written its description, but it seemed as if someone had made two words bold and added a question mark.

_The third dragon of the Unova Legend, Kyurem is a Pokemon of both ice and dragon. It has a powerful freezing energy inside itself, but its body became frozen when the energy leaked out. It waits for someone to fill it with either **TRUTH **or **IDEAL**.**?**_

My mind raced as I tried to think of who would have written that. I'd had my journal with me the entire time, hadn't I? Who could have gotten to it-

_"Hello!"_

I let out a yelp and dropped the journal, whirling around to look at whatever had startled me, and I let out a second yelp when I saw what it was.

It was a little green monkey that I instantly recognized as a Pansage that was standing on the back of my bench. But, being as I had a major phobia of Pokemon, even the cute Pansage was a threat in my eyes.

It lept over my head and to the pavement to examine my discarded notebook, and I was about to attempt to quickly grab it back when another voice called out.

"I'm so sorry Miss! Is my Pansage annoying you? I shouldn't have let him out of his Pokeball..."

Turning, I was met with the eyes of a boy with short green hair wearing a waiter's outfit running towards the bench. More green hair? What odd fashion sense people have these days...

The boy came up to the bench, panting lightly. " I really am sorry Miss. I hope Pansage didn't frighten you."

I nodded and looked back at the monkey, who was gazing intently at a page of my notebook. The boy went over to his Pokemon and took my notebook away from it, and upon seeing the page it had been so fond of, he burst out laughing.

"Simisage! Of course!" he smiled at the Pansage. "As soon as I find a Leaf Stone, I promise you'll get to look like that too."

He handed my notebook back and the Pansage smiled at its trainer admiringly.

_"Thank you so much! I'll help you look!"_

The boy called back his Pokemon in a beam of red light and turned back to me.

"I'm sorry Miss, amidst all that confusion I forgot my manners! I'm Cilan, a waiter at a restaurant here in Striaton. And you are?" he looked at me expectingly, and I blinked before answering.

"Oh, I'm-"

"White! There you are!"

I looked up to see Black running towards me with Cheren and Bianca in tow.

"What took you guys so long?" I asked Black as he reached me.

"Lots of training. I evolved all of my Poke- WHOA. ARE YOU CILAN?!" my brother's attention went from me to the waiter in the blink of an eye.

"Yes, I'm Cilan, why do you ask-"

"YOU'RE ONE OF THE GYM LEADERS! OH MY ARCEUS THIS IS SO COOL!"

Bianca and Cheren finally came up to us as Black fangirled over this Cilan guy.

"Wait, did you say one of the Gym Leaders?" Bianca asked, eyes wide.

"Yes Miss. The other two Leaders are my brothers, Cress and Chili. Are you four perhaps interested in challenging us?" his eyes gleamed hopefully and I coughed nervously.

"Ah it would only be three of us-"

"We'd love to!"

One day I swear I'm going to strangle that boy.

The Gym actually doesn't have any reservations for the next few hours if you want to battle now. Follow me!"

And that's how I ended up being dragged along by Black to a Gym. Full of Pokemon.

This wasn't going to end well...

**:3**

**Shoutout to Crystal's Full Moon,**

***trollface***

**For those who don't know, Crystal's my sister. She's been pestering me nonstop about including N in this chapter. **

**But did I?**

**Nope. owo**

**But he'll be in the next one, so don't you worry. ;D**

**Peace out friends!**

**-Amber Icefire-**


	4. The First Gym

**A/N Hi. :3**

**Yep. I updated again. Why? Because I've finally hit the climax of the story.**

**And because I have a bunch of N fangirls at my throat because I didn't include him in the last few chapters. :D**

**Thank you again to all of my regs who still continue to review my story! I cOuld tell you guys how awesome you really are for every single chapter and I still wouldn't be able to show how much I appreciate you. You're the reason this story is starting to flourish! :D**

* * *

Chapter Four: The First Gym

Cilan pushed open the door of what we were told was the Gym and escorted us all inside. The inside of the Gym was exactly as extravagant as the outside, full of mahogany tables and lavish furnishings.

"This...is a Gym? It looks more like a restaurant." Cheren remarked, adjusting his glasses as he took in the room.

"It is! We can't battle all the time you know!"

He led us to a table and we all took our seats as two other boys dressed as waiters came into the room.

"Cilan, are these new challengers?" a boy with blue hair asked.

"They sure are Cress. Now everyone," he turned his attention back to us.

"Before we begin, we need to know what your starter Pokemon is."

Bianca, Black and Cheren all told Cilan in turn, and when his gaze turned to me, and I coughed slightly.

"I- uh, I don't have a Pokemon." I told him sheepishly.

"Oh, that's not a problem! The Gym can always rent you one!"

Thankfully, Cheren stepped in to my rescue.

"Thank you for the offer Cilan, but White actually has a really bad phobia of Pokemon."

"I understand." he said, though it was evident on his face that he didn't. Still though, he didn't argue against it, and instead moved on to explain the process of the Gym to the others. I payed them no mind, instead looking out of one of the many windows in the room, lost in thought.

"Alright, so how about we all go at one time?" I heard Bianca ask after a few minutes.

"Sure thing. Bianca, I'll be going against you. Black, you'll be against Cress. Cheren, you're up against Chili."

"We'll be back soon, White. Don't go anywhere!" Black said as the group went into a separate room.

I sighed and fingered the spine of my journal and flicked it open to Kyurem's page. My eyes instantly went to the bold words and I involuntarily traced over the letters with a finger, only to yelp and pull my finger away. The ink that made those letters was freezing cold!

The door to the Gym opened and a familiar green-haired figure entered the building, drawing my attention away from the mysterious text.

"Miss White! A surprise seeing you here!"

Oh Arceus no.

"Uh, hi N."

N came over to my table and took a seat across from me, and I noticed there was a Pidove perched on his shoulder, causing me to eye it nervously. I quickly closed the notebook and slipped it in my pocket before he could notice it.

_ "Bonjour mademoiselle! I remember you from the Route! I do apologize for that, I didn't know that my kind startled you_."

I blinked, thoroughly surprised by the fact that the Pidove knew about my phobia (and that it had a French accent). I remembered this little bird from the Route and I felt my face flush slightly.

"I-It's fine."

N smiled at this, but after a few seconds the grin turned more solemn and his brow furrowed in thought.

"Miss White, This Pidove told me that you threw away a Repel that your brother gave you. Why? A person with your type of phobia would want to use it, wouldn't they?"

I shook my head in surprise at this. Why would he care? But still, I decided I should just answer him.

"Well, believe it or not, I used to work in the field around Pokemon, before I developed my phobia of them. I know what Repels do, they ward off any Pokemon around the person who used it. That includes nesting Pokemon, Pokemon who mean no harm to the user of the Repel. I'm not going to drive Pokemon out of their homes just for my own selfish purposes."

"Miss White, I couldn't have said it better myself. This is how you differ from your friends, even when you have this mysterious fear of Pokemon, you still have a mind about their feelings and beliefs. So let me ask you this, as I didn't get a chance to earlier, what are your thoughts on Team Plasma?"

What?

Then I remembered, the day before, at Team Plasma's protest. N had called out in agreement to the group...was he somehow a part of it?

"Team Plasma? Well, I suppose I agree with them. During my field work, I always came across a Trainer who mistreated their Pokemon, or were too obsessed with making them stronger, or some who just collected them like baseball cards."

N's eyes brightened, and it looked like he was going to say something, but I held up a finger, causing him to cock his head curiously.

"Though I've seen these things, I also disagree with Team Plasma. I've seen just as many Trainers who cared and loved their Pokemon then I've seen mistreat them, if not more. My-"

I winced as my mouth got ahead of my brain, but I decided to keep going.

"My dad's Pokemon had a bond to him that I've never seen before. They would have died for him, and they did. If they were truly unhappy with my father, they would have let him die. Instead, they lay down their lives in an attempt to save his- and mine."

N didn't say anything, he just stared into space, lost in thought. The Pidove on his shoulder didn't speak either.

After a few moments, he started laughing.

"I've never heard words so full of truth and ideal at once! Miss White, I'm impressed."

I smiled half-heartedly at his words, which both filled me with relief and horror. Those two words stood out like poppies on snow. Truth and ideal.

"N, if you believe in the same things that Team Plasma does, why are you battling?"

He leaned back in his seat, folding his hands in his lap.

"I'm trying to find the ideals in battling, trying to make my voice heard in the only way Trainers can hear."

Before I could ask any further questions, my companions came out from the back room, all wearing triumphant smiles and holding a shimmering piece of metal. The trio of Leaders wasn't far behind, each looking defeated, but all wearing grins.

"Your friends all fought well, their Pokemon obviously share a strong bond with them." Chili said.

Black caught sight of N and narrowed his eyes.

"Why are you talking to my sister?"

The gym leaders finally took notice of N and something flickered across their eyes. Fear? Surprise? Nervousness? I couldn't tell, but it certainly caught my attention.

"Oh, Hello Black. I was just trying to be friendly while I waited for an opening." N told my brother casually.

Black gave him a suspicious look, but didn't say a word.

Bianca and Cheren shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, and I felt just as out-of-place. The tension, however, was broken by the creak of the door swaying open on its hinges.

And who else would step through it, but Grey.

**A/N DUN DUN DUH! Cliffhanger. :3**

**I have this bad feeling that I spelled people's names wrong, but oh well. /shrugs**

**Are you happy fangirls? ARE YOU HAPPY?!**

**Alrighty, I have some thing to say real quick. **

**My goal is for this chapter to lead me to getting 25 reviews or more. Now I'm not trying to say 'review or there'll be nochew chapter' it's just a goal. So if you guys would spread this story around, send a link to your friends, just something, that would help a lot. owo**

**Oh, and one more thing, should I change the title of the story? Send me your thoughts/ideas! :D**

**Peace out!**

**-Amber Icefire-**


	5. Surprises in All Shapes and Sizes

**A/N Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, but here it is! :D**

**Special thanks to all of my reviewers! You guys are awesome beyond awesome ad I NEVER expected this story to get 30 reviews, but you guys made it happen!**

**Guest (w/ review #30): Thank you for your criticism and compliments! I'll try and work on everything you asked me to. Look! Here's a longer chapter! :D**

**Guest (w/ review #26): Y no real ducks? 'Cause it's Pokemon. No real ducks allowed. BU**

**Guest (w/review #27): Thank you so much! :DDDDD**

**There, got that out of the way. Now go read the chapter! BU**

* * *

Chapter Five: Surprises in All Shapes and Sizes

* * *

"Ah, hello. I was just about to challenge the Gym...but is this a bad time?"

Cress smiled at Grey. "No sir, just talking to some of the recent challengers. If you follow me, I'll escort you to a table."

The white-haired teen nodded and made his way after Cress, nodding slightly in my direction. Thankfully, no one noticed, as the other two Gym Leaders were focused on N.

"Alright sir, what was your starting Pokemon?"

"A Purrlion." N seemed very stern and straight-forward when talking about Pokemon, as if there was something on the subject for him that no one knew about.

"A Purrlion hmm? I suppose one of the two that aren't battling can go up against you." Chili said, a finger to his chin in thought. Cress came back over to us and turned to his brothers.

"The newcomer has a Sneasel, so Chili's up." he told his brothers, jerking his head in the direction of Grey's table.

Cilan looked at our group as if he were just noticing us. "Oh! How rude of us! Would you like to have dinner?"  
I was about to say that it would actually be lunch, but a glance out of one of the many windows told me that the sky outside had darkened while we were in here.

"Sure-"

Cheren clamped a hand over Black's mouth and smiled politely. "Thank you, but I think we'll get going."

"Alright, I'll escort you out."

My friends followed the Leader towards the exit, and I would have been with them if it weren't for a hand on my shoulder.

"White, promise me one thing...try to give Pokemon a chance." N gave me a pleading look.

I hesitated, but then nodded. "Okay."

With that, I caught up with my friends and slipped past Cilan onto the steps of the Gym.

* * *

Cheren looked over to the fast-setting sun and sighed. "I had hoped to be in Nacarene by now..."

Black shrugged. "Guess we'll just have to rent a few rooms at the Center again."

"It's not quite dark yet," Bianca said, grabbing my hand. "So White and I are going to check out the city while you guys get rooms!"

I was about to protest, but Bianca had already had a steel grip on me and wasn't about to let go. "Oh, what's over there?"

I turned to look where she was pointing and saw a few lights and a large fountain. She pulled me along towards it and finally released me, running over to look into the water. I sat down on a bench across from it, rubbing my sore wrist.

A pair of brown eyes flickered behind one of the large topiary bushes. I flinched when I saw them and tried to calm my building nerves.  
It's okay White, get a grip. Nothing to be afraid of, just a curious Pokemon. It's not going to hurt you. For Arceus's sake, you can understand them! Maybe it's just wondering why we're out here.

_"try to give Pokemon a chance."_

Gathering my courage, I turned to the eyes. "Hello there. Can I help you-"

I was cut off by the owner of the eyes suddenly darting towards me and leaping at me. I gave a small cry and went to shield my face from an oncoming attack, but was surprised when I felt a furry head nestling into my neck.

_"Jane is gone! I tried my best for her but she left me! I don't know what to do! Please help me!"_

This must be a Pokemon that a trainer released. I could practically feel my heart breaking for the Pokemon.

I hesitated, emotions conflicting, but closed my eyes and with a shaking hand, stroked the fur between the ears of the Pokemon that had sought comfort in me. Opening my eyes again, I saw that the creature was an Eevee, a Pokemon that I hadn't seen around Unova.

"It's alright." I said to it, and though my hand still shook, I was pleased to find that my voice did not.

_ "Wait, you can understand me?"_ it looked up at me with large eyes that seemed to be threatening to spill tears. I nodded and the Eevee brightened up in a matter of seconds.

Bianca saw the predicament I was in and ran over, concern etched on her face. "White! Are you okay?"

She startled the Eevee and it jumped into my bag, peering up at Bianca.

"I'm fine. This Eevee was abandoned by its trainer...Bianca please promise me you'll never release your Pokemon." I didn't know where that had come from, but hearing this poor Eevee crying out for its Trainer did something to me...

Bianca looked hesitant, but another glance at the Eevee seemed to confirm her decision. "Of course not! If my Pokemon want to stay with me, I won't force them to leave."

I nodded, satisfied with her answer. Looking at the bulge in my bag, I smiled a little.

Sensing that it wasn't in any danger, the Eevee's head poked out of the bag.

"What's your name little one?" I asked the Pokemon.

"Selenia."

"What did she say?" Bianca asked, eyes wide.

"She said her name's Selenia." I told her, and the Eevee carefully came out of the bag and onto my lap. I don't know why I was so calm having her on me, much less near me. I guess that the fear-choked side of me had decided that she wasn't a threat to me, just as she had decided that I wasn't one to her.

"White! Ask her if she wants to be your Pokemon!"

"What?! Bianca, she was just released! She might not be comfortable being with a human right now and besides-"

"I'd love to! Would you really let me come with you?"

"White, it's either you or another Trainer that happens upon her, and we know that you're more likely to treat her kinder than some random person." Bianca said, looking at me pointedly.

Looking down at Selenia, I saw that she was looking up at me with such a hopeful expression that I just couldn't say no.  
"...Alright."

Selenia gave a happy cry and curled up against me, bringing a smile to my face. Bianca clapped her hands happily.

"Wait 'till Black sees this!" she said excitedly. "Come on White, the sun hasn't set quite yet! We have to finish our tour!"

Bianca grabbed my arm again and pulled me up, causing Selenia to jump to my shoulder. She was walking determinedly towards the Dreamyard, an area that my dad and I had often went to before the incident. I hadn't gone since then, and I was a tally pretty excited to go again. We entered the Yard and Bianca started pulling me deeper through the abandoned half-buildings. By now the sun had barely past the horizon, casting a strange orangey glow on the darkening sky.

A chirping chorus started up and tiny flecks of light started to flicker in a further section of the Dreamyard, and it caught Bianca's attention. "What's that?"

I smiled. "The glowing is Ledian. They give off a powder that glows when they gather energy from the stars. The chirping is Krickitune."

"I don't understand how you manage to be afraid of Pokemon when you know so much about them. It was only Kyurem that hurt you, not any other Pokemon."

I winced. "Actually-"

"Hey! Nice Pokemon you got there!" I turned to see a girl about the same age as me walking towards us.

"Ah, thanks-"

"Used to have one just like that! Weak little thing, even when it learned Iron Tail from a tutor! Released it a while ago. I bet yours is better though!" she said with a smile.

Wait.

A glance at Selenia's tearful gaze and shuddering body confirmed my suspicion, but just in case...

I gave a chuckle that sounded fake even in my ears, but didn't faze the girl in front of me. "What's your name?"

"Jane."

"Nice to meet you Jane. I actually encountered this Eevee by the garden back there." I told her, jerking my head in the direction we'd come from.

Jane gave a snort. "Then that would be my Eevee. You can still keep it I guess, but good luck training it. It's a worthless piece of trash. Maybe you can sell it for a high price though-"

"Stop."

Surprise flashed through Jane's eyes and one of her eyebrows raised. "What?"

"Selenia isn't worthless. She is a living breathing thing with thoughts and feelings. You can't just pass her off like that! She trusted you! She had hope in you, did her best for you, and you label her as worthless?" my voice was barely above a whisper, but Jane clearly heard me and was at a loss for words.

Bianca stared in shock at me and Jane finally found her voice.

"How-how do you know that? That Eevee didn't have a name and I know she was failing on purpose." her eyes were narrowed and her voice was sharp.

I cocked my head to one side and stared at her incredulously and gave Bianca a warning look. Jane didn't need to know that I could hear everything the Eevee told me.

"Do you really think that she doesn't have a name? Did you even bother to call her something besides 'Eevee'? That's like me calling you 'human' instead of Jane. As to why I know how she feels about you, just look at her! She's obviously hurt by your words."

"Wh-Whatever! I don't care what you say! I'm going home!" she stormed off, and I took Selenia off my shoulder and held her tightly.

"I'm sorry." I told her softly, and the Eevee gave me a grateful look and tucked her head against my chest. The tears that had threatened to spill from her eyes finally brimmed over, and I felt a few drops seep through my shirt.

Bianca gave me a worried look.

"She's fine. She just needs a moment." I assured her, and we started walking again as Selenia's tears subsided, through she stayed curled in my arms.

A shout sounded from nearby, though it wasn't one of a human.

_ "Help! Oh Arceus, someone please help me!"_

Bianca wasn't alerted until a human sound accompanied it.

"Hand over the Dream Mist you stupid Munna!"

We both bolted towards the sound of the noise and came across two Team Plasma members kicking a Munna. Selenia jumped from my arms, ears picked in the direction of the disturbance.

"Hey! Stop it!" Bianca shouted, and we both ran forward, me shielding the Munna from any further blows and Bianca sending out Conch, now a Dewott. Unfortunately, the female Plasma got a blow to my ribs before she could stop, though I don't know if it was intentionally or on accident.

"Why should we?" the male asked Bianca as he pulled out a pokeball of his own. "You're just two stupid Trainers! In fact why don't we teach you both a lesson by stealing your Pokemon?"

A Patrat came out in a burst of light and was joined by a Purrlion that the female Plasma sent out.

The Munna gave another yelp and hid behind me as I warily stood up, clutching my side. "Selenia, would you-"

_ "On it! I can use Bite, Tackle, Quick Attack and Iron Tail."_

I smiled at her enthusiasm and gave a nod, looking worriedly at the Munna. It couldn't really hover like it was supposed to and a large bruise was evident on the side of its body."Use whatever on the Purrlion please. I need to get this Munna to safety."

_"Oh! Thank you so much!"_ the pink Pokemon cried.

Gathering the Munna in my arms, I rushed to a nearby patch of tall grass. It was strange, but my phobia hadn't been acting up since I'd found Selenia.

"Be safe," I told the pink Pokemon. "We'll hold them off."

The Munna thanked me again and disappeared into the grass. I felt bad for letting it go off without giving it a Potion, but I didn't have one on me, and there was an Oran Berry bush nearby. Rushing back to Bianca and Selenia, I found that both of the Plasma members were recalling their Pokemon while Selenia and Conch remained standing and unscathed.

"Ugh! You stupid Trainers! And you! You weren't even here to direct your Pokemon, you stupid careless idiot!" the female chided.

"We're going to take your Pokemon anyway! Our Pokemon may not be stronger than yours, but we're stronger than you!"

They started to advance, but a figure suddenly blocked their way.

"You will do no such thing!"

"Ghetsis?" I mumbled, confused. That is, until I saw that the image of the robed man was fuzzy at the edge. Turning my head, I saw the Munna from earlier healed and hovering beside what I saw to be a Musharna. Its eyes we're open and glowing red, which meant that it was using one of its powers.

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

"Ghetsis! Wh-"

"Get back to base NOW. You two are worthless excuses for members of Team Plasma! Get out of my sight!"

"Y-yes sir!"

And with that, the grunts were running away as fast as they could.

"Thanks!" I called to the Musharna. It smiled and nodded, and the image of Ghetsis faded, it's eyes closing again.

_** "It was my pleasure. I should be the one thanking you two for saving my son."**_

I was surprised to see that Bianca looked as if she heard the Musharna, as a look of utter shock was on her evident on her features."Y-You're welcome, I mean, no problem, I mean-"

"It wasn't a problem. We were glad to help your son." I told the purple-pink Pokemon.

**_"Actually, my son wants to come with you two. Would you accept?"_**

Bianca's look of confusion turned to one of utter delight. "I'd be glad to have him on my team! I remembered Bianca's childhood dream of having a Munna, and I grinned before the pain in my side flared up again and I yelped.

_**"Are you alright child?"**_

"Yeah, one of the Team Plasma members kicked me. I don't think I broke anything, but it's definitely going to bruise."

_**"I'll help you with that."**_

* * *

_****_ Thirty minutes later, we found ourselves standing outside of the Pokemon Center, exhausted but proud, each with a new Pokemon. Bianca's Munna (whose name so happened to be was Ralph.) in a Poke Ball and Selenia at my side. Pushing open the doors, we both healed our Pokemon and made our way to the rooms the nurse had directed us to.

"We should probably stop at the boys' rooms so that they know we haven't died or anything." Bianca suggested, and I laughed and agreed with her.

I knocked on Black's door and he opened it as soon as I took my hand off, staring at me exasperatedly. "You guys were gone for a really long time! I was so worried-"

He cut off his brotherly rant when he saw Selenia blinking innocently at my side, and then surprised me by suddenly wrapping me in a hug.

"Oh my gosh, this is awesome! Now you can finally train with us and battle Gyms and-"

"Black! Can't breathe!"

He let go, a large grin on his face as I told him what had happened when we left them. The grin faded however, when he heard what Team Plasma did.

"Those idiots...I swear they're even stupider than they dress." he said, scowling. "Well go off to bed then, eveoff the Musharna _did _heal you, you're probably still sore."

This was true, and I thankfully want to my room and got ready for bed.

* * *

I sat on the edge of my bed in my pajamas, and Selenia was poking around inside my bag.

_"What's this?"_

__ Looking up, I saw the Eevee was referring to a small piece of metal with a sticky note attached to it. Picking it up, I saw that it was a Trio Badge. I quickly unfolded the note, my eyes scanning rapidly over the small yellow square of paper.

_We award the Trio Badge to Trainers who show bravery by challenging the us, and you had to have lots of bravery to even set foot in the Gym! You deserve this, take good care of it._

_ -CCC_

"It's a Gym Badge." I told Selenia.

How in the name of Arceus did they slip this in my bag? Maybe Cilan did it while I walked past him? Whatever the case, I was glad to have the badge, though uncertain about the fact that I really deserved it.

Shaking my head, I set the badge and note back into my bag and sighed, clicking my lamp off.

"Night Selenia."I told the Eevee at the other side of the bed, closing my eyes.

_"Goodnight."_

* * *

_**A/N I know, I know, there are probably like, a bazillion grammar/speeding errors in this, and I'm sorry. I promise I'll go over it and try to smooth it out.**  
_

_** I feel like White got Selenia too quickly. Maybe I should smooth that down too. Later. BU**_

_**Didja guys like it? Sort of? Maybe?**_

_**I'll try to update soon! :D**_

_**-Amber Icefire-**_


	6. Ponderings of N and Splitting Up

**A/N. Hello my friends! Thank you bunches for all of your wonderful reviews, they really meant a lot. I hope this chapter clears up some of the confusion from the last chapter, if not all. :3**

**First thanks special thanks to Coli Chibi for his review. It really means a lot when I get home to find a review like that, and it made my day.**

**Next we have: Wings of a forgotten soul. Your review was just as awesome, thank you so much!**

**LynneDysis: I'm glad that it was worth the wait! That makes me happy inside. :3**

**Leodasdragon: Thanks for the review! Again, it made me smile! Eevees unite! BU**

**RonnyBravo: I'm glad you like it so much! Like I said, I hope this chapter clears things up again, and if it doesn't, I'll edit the last chapter, scout's honor. XD**

**MewBladeXxX: Lol, yeah. I agree completely. I hope this chapter smooths the confusion down. :,D**

**And now I will shut up and let you guys read the story. Enjoy! :DDDDD**

* * *

Chapter Six: Ponderings of N and Splitting Up

* * *

_N walked slowly down the road, a Zorua at his side and a faint smile on his face as it chattered details of what it had seen the past few hours. The green haired teen froze however, when the fox Pokemon started describing a girl with a blue cap befriending an Eevee._

**_ "And she didn't even put it in a Poke Ball or anything! You might be able to recruit her-"_**_ the Zorua stopped talking as it saw N's expression and lack of movement._

_** "N? What is it? You look like you got slapped with a Basculin."** the Zorua said, flying to his friend's shoulder in the form of a Rufflet._

_ "What? That's a horrible thing to do! That might hurt the Bascu-"_

_ **"N. I meant that you looked shocked by something I had said. What was it?"** the Zorua had gotten used to N's literal taking of things, but slipped up every now and then._

_ N nodded. "The girl you described sounded like someone I've met...did you happen to catch her name?"_

_ The Rufflet/Zorua tilted its head to the side in thought.** "I think so. It was Pink or Purple or something like that. A color name of some sort."**_

_ "White?"_

_** "Yeah, that was it. Why?"** the Rufflet changed back to a Zorua, still perched on N's shoulder._

_ "That girl is actually afraid of Pokemon. I'd given her some advice, but did she really listen and follow it so soon?" he twiddled with a strange trinket that hung from his neck, frowning in thought._

_** "Guess she did. Why does it matter so much to you? She's just a random Trainer off the streets, and a newbie at that."** the Zorua scoffed. _

_ "She's different. At first, I thought her brother was the other Hero, but he's rash and unruly, not quite fit to handle Truth. Her on the other hand..." the green-haired boy smiled and started walking again, the Zorua leaping to the ground beside him._

_ "The board is up and the game is set. The question is; which one of us will make the first move?"_

* * *

_The first thing that registered in my mind was the cold._

_ It bit down on my skin like it had a mind of its own, icy jaws clamped down hard on the exposed skin on my arms, neck, and face._

_ I could only remember one time I had been this cold, and the thought of it sent shivers up my spine, but not from cold._

_ "White."_

_ I whirled around to face the owner of the voice, and found myself faced by non other than Kyurem._

_"You-what do you want?"_

_ My fists were clenched and my breath swirled out in rapid puffs of mist. Surprisingly, I wasn't as scared of the ice dragon as I should have been. Instead, two year's worth of anger boiled to the surface, anger at what Kyurem had done and how he dared to barge into my dreams after it._

_ Yellow eyes narrowed behind the mask of Kyurem's face. A hissing sound like steam from a kettle arose from him, a noise I suspected was the laughter of the Pokemon._

_ "Now now, let's not get too hasty. Why don't you...cool down a little? I've offered you a gift, taking away the curse bestowed on you. Haven't you noticed your lack of fear towards Pokemon?"_

_ "Curse...bestowed on me?" I hesitated, confusion taking place of the anger. Another laugh rose up from Kyurem._

_ "Yes. Have you forgotten already? Two years ago?"_

_ Now it was my turn to narrow my eyes. Kyurem's lower jaw split from the upper with a resounding crack revealing jagged icicles for teeth, the mouth curving into a smile unnatural for the dragon's face._

_ "I didn't think so. I placed that fear inside you so that you wouldn't start your journey until a certain time; now."_

_ "Why? Why stop me?"_

_ "Because you're needed now. I've chosen you to be the other Hero, to befriend a piece of my soul."_

_ I blinked in astonishment, cocking my head at Kyurem. "Piece of your soul? Hero? Who's the other Hero?"_

_ Kyurem let out a sigh that freezes the air around him, tiny shards of ice dropping to the ground like shards of glass. "You will learn in time, my dear. Now go, your friends are waiting for you to wake up."_

_ The air in front of me started to visibly freeze, blurring the image of the ice dragon. As my vision started to disorient, I heard one last thing, muffled through the thick wall of ice._

_ "Oh, and I don't believe you answered my question."_

* * *

I felt something paw at my face and opened my eyes to see Selenia perched over me, inches from my face.

Startled, I flinched, and Selenia leaped to the end of the bed as I bolted upright.

_ "You okay? You kept mumbling something about ice."_

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Climbing out of bed, I felt how cold the room was and looked to see the window open. Was it like that last night? Upon closer inspection, I saw that the sill was coated in a thin layer of ice and mist had covered the pane where the air from the room met the ice.  
In the ice were two words with a question mark at the end, just as it had been in my book.

**TRUTH IDEAL?**

Selenia came up behind me peering up at the words.

_ "Okay...that's not weird."_

I quickly told her everything as I got ready, and when I finished, she looked at me, head cocked to one side.

_"I've heard of Kyurem before. It was all Jane could ever talk about for a while...she trained everyone in hopes of having the honor to face it..."_

Selenia gave a small half-smile and came up to me, leaning against my leg.

_"Whatever happens, know that I'll be there every step of the way."_

I returned the smile and leaned down, picking up the Eevee and holding her close. "That means a lot to me Selenia. Thank you."

We made our way out the door and to the lobby of the Pokemon Center, and Selenia climbed up to her perch on my shoulder.

Cheren and Black sat in chairs, looking vaguely bored. Walking up to them, I sat in a chair across from both of their's.

"Mornin." I said as the glanced up at me. "Waiting for Bianca?"

"Yep." Cheren said, gazing intently at Selenia. It seemed as if either Bianca or Black had filled him in on the events that took place last night.

Right on cue, Bianca burst into the lobby, Conch hurrying after and carrying her tote bag in his paws. _"Wait Bianca! You're going to forget your bag!"_

"Sorrrysorrysorrysorrysorry!" Bianca's words came out all mushed together, making me chuckle.

"It's fine Bianca! I just came out a few minutes ago." I reassured her.

"Well then, let's get going!" she said, taking her bag from Conch and slinging it onto her shoulder.

We started down Route 3, talking about the events from the night before.

"Those Team Plasma guys are starting to get on my last nerves." Cheren said, scoffing at the thought of the grunts hurting a Pokemon. He had called out Elm and the Servine was walking elegantly beside his Trainer.

"They're such hypocrites." Black sighed. Torch had evolved into a Pignite and was also keeping time with his Trainer.

Bianca frowned thoughtfully. "I just don't like the fact that anyone would hurt a Pokemon. It's just not right." Conch nodded his agreement, frowning along with her. I tried to ignore the conversation, instead pulling out my book and flipping open to Kyurem's page, sliding a pencil out of my pocket. As I walked, I erased 'someone' and put 'a Hero'.

_It waits for a Hero to fill it with either **TRUTH** or **IDEAL**.**?**_

Selenia was dozing on my shoulder, but for how she managed to keep balance in her sleep, I hadn't a clue. My thought process was interrupted by Black's voice.

"I feel kinda guilty White. You still haven't gotten your first Gym Badge and we just left the city."

"Oh!" I had completely forgotten about the little piece of metal in my tote bag. I explained the story and the note, with occasional 'hmm's or 'ah's from my companions.  
After I told them, we walked in near-silence with a couple of comments here and there, and I grabbed a handful of Oran berries off of a bush that we passed.

Rooftops rose over the crest of trees as we neared the final stretch to Nacarene City, and Cheren stopped and turned to us. "I think we should split up here."

"What? Why?" The abrupt statement had caught me by surprise.

"Well, we're rivals aren't we? We're all aiming for the same thing, so wouldn't it be kind of awkward to travel together?" he argued, pushing his glasses up his face as he spoke.

"O-okay. I guess so.." I said, still uncertain of splitting up.

"Don't worry sis, I'll come with you for part of the way to make sure you're okay." Black reassured me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

We said our goodbyes and Cheren and Bianca parted ways from us and each other. Once they had gone to the city, Black turned to me. "And now, you get to train with me."

"Ugh. Why?"

"Because you have one Gym badge now, and no sister of mine is going to quit the moment they start."

"Technically I didn't start-"

"Shh!" Black clamped a hand over my mouth and I glared at him. "Just trust me White. This is for your own good."

_"Come one White! It'll be fun!"_ Selenia's voice called up from my feet. I groaned, tugging my hat over my eyes.

"Fine. Score one for peer pressure."

I followed Black to a patch of tall grass nearby and he called out a Tranquill I hadn't seen before. "Alright so now we just wait for a Pokemon to come out and then Ace and I will battle one and then-"

"Black. I'm not new to this. As much as you'd like to coach me, I know what to do."  
My brother grinned sheepishly and looked as if he were about to make a retort when we heard a rustling sound and two Pokemon came out of the grass.

_"Oh? I thought I heard something Lucas. I told you there were Trainers over here!"_

_"Yeah, well, whatever. I just want to fight someone."_

A Blitzle and a Lillipup stood side by side and got into battle positions. Selenia and Black's Tranquill (Ace, I suppose its name was) lined up as well, and the battle started.

"Alright Selenia, start off by using Quick Attack on the Blitzle." I called, and the Eevee attacked in a blur of light brown, grazing the Pokemon and catching it by surprise.

"Ace, use Peck on the Lillipup!"

The battle went on for a few more moves, us hitting and them hitting, until my concentration was broken by a call nearby.

"Help! Someone stop those guys! They took my Pokemon!"

I whipped my head around to see a Team Plasma member running off with a Pokeball clutched firmly in his hand with a girl about ten running after him. Black noticed too, and his eyes narrowed. "Those idiots again..."

Even the Pokemon we were battling had noticed the interruption, and I quickly turned to the Blitzle I had been fighting.

"Here. I'm sorry that we didn't get to finish that battle, but I really have to go. I hope these make up for it." I tossed the Pokemon a few of my Oran berries, gave some to Selenia, picked her up, and promptly ran after the thief.

"Come on Black!" I yelled over my shoulder, and he healed the Pokemon he had been fighting with a Potion, murmered his apologizes, and then ran after me.

_"Wait, what? You're just going to leave in the middle of a battle?"_ I heard the Blitzle ask, his voice full of astonishment.

But we had already given chase and left the two Pokemon behind, so I didn't get a chance to fully explain the situation to him.

Soon, we reached the entrance of a cave and the girl from before stood outside it. "They went in there," she said softy. "But I can't follow since they took my Pokemon. Wild Pokemon are in there..."

"Don't worry kid, I'll get it back for you." Black said heroically (or at least, in his mind).

"I'll come too-"

"No White, stay with her, I case any wild Pokemon feel like attacking. I'll be back in a few."

With that, he ran inside of the cave and was soon engulfed in darkness. I scoffed slightly and turned to the girl and knelt down to her level, smiling faintly.

"Don't be worried, my brother can handle this. You'll have your friend back in no time."

The girl smiled and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her shirt. "Thanks."

"What's your name?" I asked her. She pulled her sleeve away from her eyes and looked at me.

"Taylor. What's yours?"

"White."

She giggled a little. " What a funny name! I like it!"

I laughed along with her. "Yeah, we'll Taylor is probably the most normal name I've come on in a while."

Selenia came up to the girl and rubbed against her legs as if to comfort her and Taylor laughed again.

We chatted for a while, me successfully taking the girl's mind off of her stolen Pokemon. Soon enough, (though it felt more like hours) Black rushed out of the cave holding a Pokeball with Torch and Ace in tow.

"I got it! Those Plasma members didn't stand a chance against Torch and Ace!" he said triumphantly, gesturing to his Pokemon. Indeed, they both looked as fit as fiddles, hardly a scratch on either of them. Black handed Taylor the red-and-white ball and grinned.

"Be more careful, okay kid?"

"Got it!" she told him happily, and she ran off down the road to a building I recognized as the Daycare.

"Nice job Black! I didn't expect you to beat them so easily."

"Ow. That hurts. But I did have some help."

"Wha-"

Grey stepped out of the cave entrance with a Sneasel beside him and came up to us. Selenia hid behind my legs, uneasy around the collected Trainer.

"Oh, hi Grey. You helped Black?"

He blinked, and gave me a look that practically shouted _no really?_

Nevertheless, he answered my question calmly. "Yes. It's unfortunate for someone to see a Trainer's Pokemon be taken from them and just stand by."

"Well that was nice. Thanks for that." I told him.

"I just did what any neutral individual would do. It's not about wrong or right."

"Okay..." I was somewhat taken aback by this comment, it didn't make much sense.

Black turned to me, eyebrow raised. "You've...met him?"

"Yeah, when you guys ditched me back on Route One, he came and helped me find the way to Accumula." I told him. "

Grey's Sneael rubbed its claws together nervously and looked up at us, reminding me of the Sneasel I had seen back when my dad- well, you know.

"Well, it was a pleasure seeing meeting you Black, and seeing you again White, but I must be going." Greynstated, and without another word he headed in the opposite direction of Nacarene City.

"Wonder where he's going...oh well. Come on White, we still need to train more!"

With that, Black grabbed my wrist and started tugging me along as Bianca had, and it Selenia quickly jumped to my shoulder as I was pulled along.

_ "Today's going to be a long day..."_ she said warily, and I couldn't help but nod in agreement, a smirk on my face at the enthusiasm of my brother and the more unenthusiastic Eevee on my shoulder.

* * *

**A/N. Was that better than the last chapter? Maybe a yes? Did it clear some of the confusion? Again, hopefully a yes.**

**So these are the stats for everyone so far:**

**White:**

**Selenia, Eevee, Lv18**

**Bite, Tackle, Quick Attack, Iron Tail**

* * *

**Black:**

**Torch, Pignite, Lv20**

**Tackle, Arm Thrust, Ember, Flame Charge**

**Ace, Tranquil, Lv19**

**Quick Attack, Peck, Tackle, Growl**

* * *

**Cheren:**

**Elm, Servine, Lv22**

**Tackle, Vine Whip, **

**?, Liepard, Lv20**

**Fury Swipes, Leer, Fake Out, Pursuit**

* * *

**Bianca:**

**Conch, Dewott, Lv20**

**Water Gun, Tail Whip, Tackle, Razor Shell**

**George, Herdier, Lv20**

**Tackle, Bite, Helping Hand, Take Down**

* * *

**Grey:**

**?, Sneasel, Lv25**

**Quick Attack, Icy Wind, Faint Attack, Metal Claw**

* * *

**N:**

**?, Zorua, Lv25**

**Leer, Pursuit, Faint Attack, Scratch**

* * *

** So there ya are. This is the longest chapter I have ever made in my entire life, so ten points to me. XD**

** I hope you liked it, and don't forget to R+R!**

** -Amber Icefire-**

**NOTE: If this chapter still wasn't any better, I'll edit both this one and the last one. Please go easy on me if it wasn't all you hoped it would be. :,D**


	7. The Top Percentage of Herdier and Museum

**A/N **

**Hai. owo**

**How have you all been? Good? That's nice to hear.**

**Moving on.**

**I bet all of you who have played Heartgold/Soulsilver flipped at the chapter title. Yes. Yes I did do this. B3**

**Thank you to all of my reviewers and stuff, I mean, 43 reviews. That's a lot. I'm gonna mlike all of the fangirls out there happy with this chapter, and I shoved a lot of humor and stuff in with it. **

**Just trust me. It's awesome.**

**Oh, you don't believe me? Than what are you still doing here? Read the chapter and prove me wrong (or right)!**

** Lol, I hope you enjoy.**

**P.S. Shoutout to my friend Leodasdragon, who agrees that Eevees shall rule the world with their freaking awesomeness. :3**

**(READ A/N AT THE END!)**

* * *

Chapter Seven: The Top Percentage of Herdier and The Museum

* * *

One hardcore training session later, Black decided that we were ready to enter Nacrene City, and we started down the path.

"So Black."

"Yeah?"

"I guess we're going to Macarene City now."

"Yeah I guess so-wait what?"

"Hah, sorry. Word play, I just couldn't help myself."

Black rolled his eyes, but still smiled at my comment. Selenia sat on my shoulder, tail tucked around my neck. She panted slightly, a sign that she had gotten quite the workout. I just hoped that we didn't have to do any more-

"Hey you! Trainer!"

Battles...

A kid about Taylor's age stomped up to Black.

"My Herdier is the top percentage of Herdier! Battle me!" he said, brandishing a pokeball like it was a sword.

"Uh, okay kid."

"What? You don't think my Herdier's the top percentage of Herdier? You don't do you?!"

By this point, the boy was getting pretty ramped up, and Black raised his hands in front of him.

"I believe you kid. Do you want to battle or not?"

The little boy glared suspiciously at Black as he sent out the Herdier he had been rambling over.

_"Oi, I finally get to stretch me legs."_ the Herdier said, stretching. I chuckled at the Pokemon's Scottish accent.

Black sent out Ace and the two Pokemon faced off, each regarded the other while watching their Trainer out of the corner of its eye.

"Alright Ace, Quick Attack."

"Show 'im who's boss Herdier! Tackle!"

I sat on a log to watch the battle, Selenia keen and alert in my lap. I soon grew bored though, as it was obvious that Black would eventually win the match.

"Hey Black, I'm going to go on ahead. I'll see you at the Center."

He nodded and I headed off back down the route. Selenia took her usual post at my shoulder and I began enjoying myself. The faint voices of Pokemon were all around me, a low hum mixing in with the stirring of browning leaves high in the treetops. The wind blew somewhat casually between the branches and over the ground, sending the blades of grass bending this way and that. It was peaceful, and for the first time in two years, I felt at home among the wildlife.

I eventually made my way into the city and found the Pokemon Center, rejuvenating Selenia and stocking up on Potions. I also bought a single PokeBall with the leftover money from the Potions, just in case.

Black joined me soon enough and I smiled. "How'd it go?"

He chuckled. "Let's just say that his Herdier is the bottom percentage of Herdier now."

"Hey White."

"Yeah?"

"I wonder if they have a bakery here."

"Why?"

"I want to buy a Macarene."

I laughed. "We're never going to let that go are we?"

"No, no we're not."

We headed out of the Center and I turned to Black. "So now that I've trained with you, can I please go do what I want?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"The museum! I haven't been there in forever!"

"You want to battle the Gym Leader?"

I rolled my eyes. "Honestly Black, I'm not stupid. All I have with me is Selenia, and even though she's strong, it's a slim chance we'll succeed over the Leader's several. I just want to look at the displays."

Black cringed. "Yeah, have fun with that. Museums are boring. That's why they put a Gym in there, to make it more exciting."

"Your loss then! I'll see you later."

With that, I walked off in the direction of the museum, Selenia on my shoulder. I paused at the base of the steps and looked up at the architecture, my eyes tracing over the little details in the stonework. Making my way to the doors, I made to grab the handle-

When the door promptly hit me in the face.

"Ow! Oh Arcues!" I cried stepping back and rubbing my injured nose. I looked up and my eyes met the stormy gaze of none other than N, a Rufflet perched on his shoulder.

"Oh my apologies, are you alright? I didn't know there was someone on the other side of the door."

"I'm alright. They should really make the door glass though, then you can see if people are coming or going." I said with a smile, taking my hand from my face. Selenia was unsure about the green-haired teen and stayed nestled close to my neck on my shoulder, trying to remain inconspicuous. N cocked his head at the Eevee, giving a little half-smile.

"And who might this be?"

"Oh! N, this is Selenia, Selenia this is N."

_"Hi."_ came the muffled reply from within my hair.

"I don't think I've seen a Pokemon like that before..." he regarded her with grey eyes, a finger to his chin in thought.

"She's an Eevee, they're not usually found in this region." I told him, putting a hand on Selenia's back.

"Then pray tell, how did you come across her?" he asked, and the Pokemon on his shoulder ruffled its feathers as if to show its Trainer's masked frustration.

I told him the bare minimum of the story, sparing Selenia's feelings about the matter. He didn't say a word as I talked, merely looked thoughtful, but when I finished I saw his eyes darken like thunderclouds.

"Such Trainers disgust me... I'm glad you took her in." his attention turned back to the building he had just walked out of. "Are you here to...challenge the Gym?"

I shook my head. Why did everyone think that? "No, I just wanted to look at the exhibits."

N's eyes brightened more than I'd even seen them, so much that they looked more like friendly rain clouds than the dark storm clouds I was so used to seeing by now.

"Well in that case I'd be happy to accompany you! Museums are something many people take for granted."

"No that's okay, if you just came out-"

"Let's go!"

He grabbed me by the elbow and ushered me inside, causing a squeak of alarm from Selenia. N's Rufflet fluttered it's wings and suddenly became absorbed in a flash of white light and it shifted form, much to Selenia and I's surprise. In its place, a Zorua perched, snickering at the pair of us.

_"Whoa nice trick dude!" _Selenia told the Fox Pokemon, and it gave her another one of its crooked grins and held its head high.

_"I know. Watch this."_

With that, the cocky Pokemon shifted into an Eevee, sitting with its head in the air, a smile on its face showing the sharp teeth of a Zorua.

_"Cool. You're my new best friend. What's your name?"_

The Zorua/Eevee paused for a minute and looked at her blankly._ "I-I don't remember my name."_

Selenia moved to my other shoulder so that she could get a better look at the Zorua.

_"Really? Well I'm Selenia. Since you don't have a name, I'm gonna call you Ashe. I used to know a Zorua called that."_ she nodded, as if it were perfect reasoning to name another Pokemon. N and his Zorua both looked baffled at the Eevee on my shoulder, whilst she merely stared back.

_"Wh- you know what, fine. Whatever floats your boat sister."_ Newly-named Ashe said, staring at Selenia unamused.

The two Pokemon jumped to the ground to converse (Ashe still on the form of an Eevee) and N started the tour of the Museum, not letting go of his grip on my arm as if I were going to make a run for it.

He walked up to a case that contained three bones of different sizes, ones that I recognized instantly from my travel to Kanto with my father when I was seven.

"Bones that were once carried as weapons by a certain kind of Pokemon." N read aloud off of the plaque that stood in front of the display. "But what kind of Pokemon? It doesn't say on the sign..."

"Cubone and Marowak." I told him, pulling my journal out of its pouch on my belt and flipping to their designated pages. This caught N's attention, and he let go of my arm to look over my shoulder, tracing the outline of the Cubone.

"It looks so sad." N said, and I could practically here the frown in his voice.

"Cubone wears the skull of a parent. When I was visiting Kanto with my dad, we found a hoard of them, crying. Just crying, not saying anything. It was awful, hearing the echoing plea of the return of a loved one."

"Didn't you try to help them?" N asked me. He almost sounded disgusted, and almost disapointed, as though he had already guessed the answer and wasn't hap and something inside me shook at this.

"Of course! I approached them, as not to scare them away, just to try to talk to them and help them, but they were as dead to the world as the ones that they mourned. They saw right through me, as if I were a ghost..."

I blinked and then pointed to the large bone the Marowak was holding and then gestured to the bones on display.

"Marowak hold the bones of loved ones as well, though they're much stronger about getting over their sadness. I think that's how the Cubone evolve, getting over their desperate longing to find a place to put their deceased in their hearts. One Marowak that I talked to, Jenny was her name I think, she said that the bone she held was of her father, Gordon. She said that she pretends he's there with her in that bone, that he's the reason she battles, so that she can always remain close to him. Cubone also carry bones of brothers or sisters that didn't make it to adulthood." I told him, gesturing to the smallest bone on the stand.

I saw N wipe something away from the corner of his eye as he reclaimed my elbow, guiding me to a large skeleton in the center of the room.

"This is the skeleton of a large Dragon Pokemon that flew a long time ago." he said, looking up at the jumble of bones.

I craned my head to look at the skeleton, cocking my head to one side. "Are you sure it isn't identified?"

"Pretty sure."

"It just looks like a giant Dragonite to me."

"Really? I haven't seen a Dragonite before, but I have seen its pre-evolved forms. Do you have a picture of that too?"

"As a matter of fact I do." I said, flipping to the page depicting the large orange dragon.

"See?" I told him, pointing to the horn on top of the Pokemon's head and then to the top of the skull. "It has a horn and everything."

N stood silent, comparing the picture and skeleton.

"This museum really needs to update its facts."

I laughed at that and nodded in agreement.

"Is there a Pokemon that you don't have in that book of yours?" he asked me, looking at the journal questioningly.

"Yeah, I don't have any from the Sinnoh region. My dad and I were going to go there after we finished the Legendaries of Unova, but...Kyurem had other plans for him."  
N stood silent again, contemplating it all before leading me to the next exhibit silently. A mask stood on a prop, smiling creepily and staring with empty eyes.

"A mask used in ancient dances and rituals." he told me! Again reading off of a plaque.

I remained silent and he laughed a little. "What, nothing to say this time?"

I returned the laugh and shook my head. "Nope. I know stuff about Pokemon, not creepy masks."

We moved on through the museum until we reached a stand that held a single white orb with three notches on the side. I cocked my head staring at it intently and got closer for a better look. Selenia jumped onto my shoulder and N smiled faintly again.

"That would be the Light Stone. It's said to contain Reshiram, the dragon of Truth." he told me, looking at the orb as intently as I was.

"Reshiram huh...Where's the other Stone?"

N shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows. The fact that even Reshiram's Stone has been found is a miracle within itself."

I nodded. "Fair point."

All of a sudden, I paused. Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn that I'd seen the Light Stone tilt a little in my direction...probably a trick of the light.

Soon we had seen all of the museum and had exited the building, and when we reached the bottom of the steps, N turned to me.

"White, would you do me the honor of a battle?" he asked me, his head cocked to one side, as if in thought or question.

I nodded. "Sure. Selenia?"

_"Alright. You are so going down Ashe."_ the Eevee said, smiling evilly at the Zorua.

He looked at her warily, and then looked up at N, who nodded._ "FINE."_ he said, getting in position opposite Selenia._ "You ready?"_

_"Bring it."_

* * *

**A/N**_  
_

**Hey. Did ya like it? Was it good enough for your faces? Did it make you laugh? You! You right there! I see you crying. But it's okay! Death happens, even to Pokemon! It's just nature! :D**

** So I'm going to give you guys a challenge. Ready?**

** In your review, say the sentence: 'I support the Eevee Revolution' and then put your favorite Eevee evolution. Not nessicarily in that order. :3**

**Also, tell me what your reaction was to the 'top percentage of ratatta' kid while you were playing your DS. What awful things did you yell at the kid? I want to know, truly. XD**

** Whoever participates gets a chapter dedication and a virtual duck. BU**

** 'Til next time!**

** -Amber Icefire- **


	8. Author's Note: I Am So Sorry

**A/N**

**I love you all so much.**

**Seriously.**

**I am so sorry that I've let you guys down. Life just shot me down with a flaming bow and arrow and it took me a long time to pick up the pieces.**

**I'm almost done with the next chapter, I PROMISE. Paradox isn't going down as easily as that.**

**Please don't kill me for not updating in a million years and then giving you this piece of crap. But if you even look at this...**

**Thank you for sticking with me.**

**You guys are what's keeping me going these days.**

**I have a lot of junk planned for you all, and to make up for my horrible updating tendencies, I'll do you guys a favor.**

**A lot of you guys have been begging me to put some Ferriswheelshipping in this story already.**

**Well guess what.**

**If you guys still want me to, I have no problem putting a little bit of fluff in this story.**

**Again, thank you for believing in me, or if not, flame me. Go ahead. I deserve it.**

**-Amber Icefire**


End file.
